Good for dogs???

The mission of Good Dog Hotel and Spa in Indianapolis is “To provide compassionate, loving care to all dogs, especially those entrusted to us, being constantly attentive to their security, safety, and well-being, and to place their welfare and happiness above all other business considerations.” At one time, I would have whole-heartedly agreed that this facility went above and beyond its mission statement. Sadly, I will now do my best to discourage any caring dog owner from taking their pet to Good Dog Hotel and Spa for any reason.
We had been taking our two dogs to Good Dog Hotel and Spa for over a year. They would go to daycare at least once a week, and they were boarded in the hotel on three separate occasions. Our experience with the staff in the daycare and at the front desk had been a positive one, with one unfortunate exception. The woman who we would see most often, and who we assumed to be in a position of management, always came off as cold and distant to both people and dogs alike. Although the staff of Good Dog Hotel and Spa strived to remember their repeat customers’ names – again both human and dog alike – this woman would ask if it was our first time after months of our being a weekly visitor.
We were so happy with the service and staff at Good Dog Hotel and Spa, that it was easy to overlook feeling negatively about one staff member. The other staff seemed to love our dogs, and the facility was sparkling clean. Thinking that we were being oversensitive – because both my spouse and I were treated coldly by this woman on many separate occasions – I asked two friends about their experiences with her. Unfortunately, their experience was the same as mine. But so what, right? The dogs were happy to go to daycare each week, and we were happy with the grooming and hotel services.
However, we have noticed a huge staff turnover in recent months. There seems to always be a help wanted sign in the window at Good Dog Hotel and Spa. Then we noticed that the quality of service declined. Our dogs would come home with split, bleeding nails. Some of the newer staff members were unnecessarily rough with dogs. There is almost always water or urine on the floor of the lobby, and it smells as you walk in like it never did before. Now the self-service bathing station is too gross for us to consider using. Once the staff would call me during the day to let me know if there was an issue with one of my dogs, and they always give us a report at the end of the day about our dogs (even about which dogs were their playmates.) More recently I would find my two high-energy, medium-sized dogs sequestered in the puppy area with no explanation.
We noticed that Good Dog Hotel and Spa became more popular since we had first started taking our dogs to it. It seemed that as the number of customers grew, the number of restrictions increased, and the service declined. As we continued to receive poor customer service from this particular woman, our concerns also grew.
I decided to address this issue on our next visit. I asked the woman if she was in a supervisory or managerial role. When she confirmed that she was, I praised many of the staff members and our overall experience. I then explained that I was concerned about how her treatment of us as customers was different, and not as pleasant, as that of those staff members. Before I could explain further how we felt the other services had declined and then talk about possible solutions, she became defensive. She went so far as tell me she struggled with the issue that I brought up and needed to take medication for it. My heart went out to her, but my concern about this person leading a team that would care for my dogs while I was away grew.
She then took my dogs into the daycare area. My spouse watched through the observation window as she sobbed to her staff members (and in front of all the dogs in day care) about what had happened. One of the staff even stepped away from the dogs he was caring for to come and take a look at me through the window. I was uncomfortable, but still only concerned about whether change could be made to bring Good Dog Hotel and Spa back to the quality that we had become accustomed. As she returned to the lobby desk, I could see that she was crying. Again I felt compassion for her, but she refused to continue working with me to check my dogs into the hotel and instead asked two separate staff members to finish up with me. She then left the room, but other staff members who I presume she also told her story would come out of different areas in the facility to take a look at us.
At this point, I could not be reassured that my dogs would receive the quality of care that they needed. The staff was not putting the dogs’ “welfare and happiness above all other business considerations.” I asked that my dogs be retrieved. Yes, this meant canceling our travel plans for the evening, but it was better than the alternative. It cost us some money to do this, but it was worth it.
I then asked how many days were remaining on my 10-day pass, because I wasn’t sure that I wanted to bring our dogs back at all. The man who told me he was the hotel manager asked another staff member to check on this and refund the balance of the pass to the credit card I used to purchase it. I hadn’t decided I wanted a refund, but I guess I was getting one anyway. Was I being kicked out of Good Dog Hotel and Spa? When I explained that I had paid cash for the pass, the staff member told me that she could refund the cash amount. The hotel manager again stepped in and told me that this large amount (only $80) would need to be sent by check. If I thought the woman before him had been rude, it was unmatched by his treatment of me at that point. I did receive a receipt from the kind staff member who took my information for the refund, and I hope I do receive it. It will be one positive experience that I hope will take away some of the pain that we experienced at Good Dog Hotel and Spa.